


absence makes the heart

by Kalgalen



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Hypothetical Lonely Ritual, M/M, Saving The World With The Power Of Lov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 13:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalgalen/pseuds/Kalgalen
Summary: If you’d told Jon three years ago that Martin would be responsible for the end of the world, he - well, he would probably have believed you, though he might not have believed that he, himself, would be so devastated about it.(Jon has to stop the apocalypse. Again.)





	absence makes the heart

If you’d told Jon three years ago that Martin would be responsible for the end of the world, he - well, he would probably have believed you, though he might not have believed that he, himself, would be so devastated about it.

Jon has been through one near-apocalypse already, and he'd thought he’d know what to expect from any that might follow (and, _really?_   Is this his life now?) The Unknowing had been a confusing, loud business; in comparison, the Forsaken is quite underwhelming. In place of the nightmare of overlapping voices and flashing lights from the last ritual, the most noticeable thing this time is the utter silence, barely troubled by the sound of his own erratic, labored breathing. The Archives have never seemed so big - so _empty_ , despite the multitude of thin white threads criss-crossing the space, flowing in through each doorway, each aeration vent.

He isn't alone, though. Not yet.

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Daisy and Basira, both collapsed on the ground under the weight of the same crushing loneliness bearing down on Jon’s own shoulders. The two women are clinging to each other, their grip white-knuckled, desperate; their lips are moving, but if any sound is coming out, he's too far away to hear it. Everything in their posture speaks of terror, of the certitude that if they let go, they won't ever find each other again - which, given the way the world is crumbling around them, is not that absurd of an idea. The wall on his left is once again smooth, the red door vanished alongside Melanie. _Good_ , Jon thinks; even the Distortion won't be able to escape what's about to happen, but at least they'll have each other for some more time.

Jon directs his attention toward the center of the room, to the spot where all the gossamer strings connect. He can barely distinguish Martin’s shape inside of what he can only describe as a cocoon, stretches of silk-like material wrapping tighter and tighter around his last assistant with every passing second.

Well - maybe describing Martin with something as clinically professional doesn't fit anymore. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, as it would seem; Jon's never been one to believe in love being the ultimate weapon against adversity, but in this particular case he doesn't have many other possibilities.

He pulls himself upright, and the thread tied around his wrist shudders. Jon wonders if Martin, as the Spider in the center of that Web, can feel him; he almost hopes so.

_I'm coming, Martin._

He progresses slowly among the entwined filaments; each of them is bound to a person, somewhere, and Martin is holding them all in his hands, painstakingly setting them apart from each other. Someone touched by the Web, cutting all ties instead of pulling them; this can't be the most efficient way to bring the Lonely into their world, but it's the only one Peter Lukas has managed to pull together on such short notice.

Jon knows their motivations - knows of the Extinction, knows that Lukas has managed to convince Martin, _somehow,_ that a ritual destroying all bonds between human beings was better than no ritual at all and a doomed planet. The Archivist part of his brain understands - the human part, however, refuses to let it end this way. There has to be a better solution, one that doesn't involve Martin getting wrenched away from him when he's only just discovered he doesn't want to let go of him, ever.

And so he fights against the near-irresistible desire to simply lie down and give in to the isolation, and he makes his way through the progressively denser mess of white cables, trusting his own wire to guide him to the epicenter of the phenomenon. It takes forever, but he eventually manages to writhe his way into the cocoon - to Martin.

The chrysalis forms a dome around the desk Martin used to work at, and the man himself is sat in his chair, looking miles away as he plucks at the strings covering his hands. He doesn't react when Jon tries calling out his name, the barest hint of a murmur passing his lips; Martin doesn't react when Jon sinks on his knees next to him, trying to catch his eyes, and he doesn't react when Jon lifts his hands up to force Martin to face him.

_Please, look at me. **See** me. Please. Please._

Each word comes out as the weakest breath, no matter how loud Jon tries to speak. It doesn't keep him from trying.

_Listen. Listen. I'm not letting you go, alright? He can't have you. We can figure this out. Just come back. Please._

_Please._

Martin raises one of his hands, closes it around Jon's wrist; for a second Jon allows himself to feel hopeful - before he realizes what Martin is trying to do: tugging, deliberately, at the knot in Jon's thread, carefully working at loosening it.

Jon can't imagine what will happen when he finally manages to undo it, and he doesn't want to know.

 _Martin, please!_ He'd be screaming, now, if it weren't for the relentless silence pressing down on him. _I love you, alright? I love you, and you can't take that away from me!_

Moved by a rush of hopelessness, he catches Martin's prying fingers in one of his hands, and drags him down to him with the other.

It's not stellar, as far as first kisses go; Jon might be aware of the feelings Martin has had for him at some point, but he's got no way of knowing if they're still present - if Martin would even like to kiss him in the first place. There's also the little issue of Martin barely being aware of his presence; he stopped trying to untie the thread around Jon's wrist, but he's not responding to the kiss either. Jon - doesn't know what else to do. Of _course_ a kiss wouldn't solve anything, and it's awkward, and it's pathetic, and he just presses his mouth against Martin's harder, and tries not to start tearing up, because _this_ would be the final humiliation.

_Please._

Then - then Martin breathes in, sharply, as if taking his first breath in a long while.

"Jon?" he mumbles sleepily against Jon's mouth, and Jon is so elated just from hearing his voice again it takes him a moment to realize he can _hear_ again.

"Oh, God, Martin," he gasps, and kisses him again. Martin starts, and Jon immediately backs off, mortified. "God, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - I didn't know how to - I just -"

Martin silences him with a kiss - that one soft, very different from Jon's impulsive, desperate attempts - and Jon sighs contentedly, melting into it. He barely even notices the cocoon falling apart around them, each strand quietly vanishing, until there are only two left - Jon's and Martin's, entangled - then those disappear as well, them being material needless now that the ritual has been stopped.

Eventually, Martin pulls away and leans his forehead against Jon's. His eyes are closed, and he looks exhausted, though there's the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

"I swear to God, Jon," he mutters. "If you only did that to save the world -"

It takes a moment to Jon to understand what he means, then he scoffs.

"Don't be ridiculous. I did it to save _you._ "

There's a silence, during which Jon worries he's offended him. Then:

"Wow," Martin chuckles. "Cheesy much?"

"Are you complaining?" asks Jon, playfully defensive.

Martin smiles, and places an affectionate kiss on Jon's forehead.

"No, not at all."

**Author's Note:**

> Im emo yall
> 
> (find me on Tumblr @[kalgalen](https://kalgalen.tumblr.com/) :D)


End file.
